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cause_n	bring_v	child_n	good_a	1,431	5	3.9500	3	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A06902	The art of archerie Shewing how it is most necessary in these times for this kingdome, both in peace and war, and how it may be done without charge to the country, trouble to the people, or any hinderance to necessary occasions. Also, of the discipline, the postures, and whatsoever else is necessarie for the attayning to the art.	Markham, Gervase, 1568?-1637.	1634 (1634)	STC 17333; ESTC S111944	47,462	196

discommodities in the end leaue nothing behinde but faire shooting And to doe this the better you must remember that in the beginning when I described generally the whole nature of Shooting I told you that faire Shooting did proceed from these fiue seuerall Postures Standing Nocking Drawing Holding and Loosing all which I will goe ouer as succinctly and briefly as I can describing the discommodities that men commonly vse in all parts of theyr bodyes when they imploy them to these Actions so that at any time when you shall erre or offend in any of the motions you shall both speedily apprehend it and with as great diligence amend it Faults in Archers doe exceed the number of Archers and they prodeed from the vse of shooting without teaching For Custome and vse separated from knowledge and learning doth not onely hurt shooting but the most materiall weightiest Actions in the world and therefore I wonder much at those people which will offer to be the maintainers of vses and customes without knowledge hauing no other wordes in their mouthes but these Vse Vse Custome Custome which besides diuers other discommodities brings with it this mischiefe that it takes from a man all hope of amendment There is nothing more true then that in shooting Vse is the onely cause of all the faults therin whēce it comes that Children are more easily and sooner taught to shoot excellently then Men because Children may bee taught to shoot well at the first Men haue more trouble to vnlearne theyr euil Customes then they haue labour afterward to come to good Shooting All the discommodities which ill custom hath grafted in Archers can neyther be quickly pulled out nor yet soone reckoned by mee they are so many For one shooteth his head forward as if hee would byte the Marke another stareth with his Eyes as if they should flye after his Arrow another winketh with one eye openeth the other as if hee shot in a Stone-bow one maketh a sowre face another a wry countenance one bleereth out his tongue another biteth his lip another holdeth his Necke awry In drawing some fetch such a Compasse as if they would turne about and blesse the Field others haue their hand now vp now downe that a man cannot discerne whereat they would shoote another waggeth the upper end of his Bow one way the neather end another another will stand poynting his shaft at the marke a good space and by by he will giue him a whip away ere any man is aware another will make such a wrastling and strugling with his Instruments as if he were able shoote no more as long as he liued Anothet draweth his shaft softly to the midst and by and byit is gone you cannot tell how Another draweth his shaft low at the brest as if he would shoote a rooueing marke and presently he lifteth vp his hand prick-height Another maketh a a wrinching or cringing with his Back as though a man pinched him behind Another cowreth downe and thrusts out his Buttocks as if he were shooting at Crowes Another setteth forward his left leg and draweth backe with his Necke and shoulders as if he were pulling at a rope or else were afraid of the marke Another draweth his shaft well vntill within two fingers of the head and then he stayeth a little to looke at his marke which done he pulleth it vp to the head and so looseth which manner of shooting although some excellent Archers doe vse it yet it is a Fault and good mens faultes are not to be Imitated Once I heard of a man which vsed a Bracer on his cheeke otherwise he had torne all the skin from one side of his face with his drawing-hand Another I haue seene which at euery shoote after the loose would lift vp his leg so farre that he was euer in danger of falling Some will stampe forward and some leape backward and all these faults are eyther in drawing or loosing with a world of others which any man may easily perceiue and so endeauour to avoide them Now there be other faults after the shaft is gone from the Bow which onely euill custome hath brought vpon men of which the worst is when men will cry after their shafts either with execrations or other vnseemely words much vnfit for so honest a Recreation questionalesse such words are the Symptoms of an euill mind and display a man that is subiect to immeasurable affections good-mens eares doe abhorre them and an honest man will avoyd them Now besides these there be others which haue others faults as some will take there Bow and writh and wring itto pull in there shaft when it flieth wide as if he droue a cart some wil giue two or three strides forward dauncing and hopping after his shaft as long as it flyeth some with feare to be too farre gone runne backward as it were to pull their shaft backe another runneth forward when he feareth to be short heauing after his Armes as though he would helpe the Arrow to flye another runs aside to pull his Shaft streight one lifteth vp his heele so holds it till the shaft be falne another casteth his Arme backward after the loose and another swings his Bow about him like a whi●ler before a Pageant to make roome with a world of other errors now out of my remembrance All which Montaigne in one of his Essayes cals the Discharging of passions vpon a wrong subiect Now these Antick gestures disfigure and take away all comlinesse from this noble action So that Archer which is voyd of all these crimes cannot but possesse the perfection of comlines in this Art which how soeuer it cannot be exprest to the life in words yet I will according to my small knowledge giue you some small Character thereof which if any man shall please to follow though I cannot make him vtterly Faultlesse yet his Faults shall neither quickly be perceiued nor yet greatly rebuked And this method I will draw from these fiue principall Postures Standing Nocking Drawing Holding and Loosing which being done in perfection containe the Substance of all faire Shooting CHAP. XIIII Of the first Posture which is Standing THe first Posture or Poynt which a man ought to obserue when he goeth about to Shoote is to take such Footing and Standing as shall be both comely to the eye and profitable for the action he hath in hand setting his countenance and all other parts of his body after such a gesture and port that both all his Strength may be imployed to his owne most absolute aduantage and his Shoote made and handled to the high contentment and delight of euery well judging beholder And first a man must not goe to it too hastily for that is Rashnesse nor yet be too tedious or make too much a doe about it for that is Curiosity Next the one foote must not stand too farre from the other least he stoop too much which is most vnseemely nor yet too neare

widenesse then you pull it to your eare and let it goe which must needs breake the Shaft at the least and puts both String Bow and all in hazard because the strength of the Bow hath nothing in it to stop the violence of it This kinde of breaking is most dangerous for the standers by for in such a case you shall see sometimes the end of a Bow flie more then a score from a man and as I haue noted it is euer the vpper end of the Bow Thirdly the Bow is broken by drawing too farre two seuerall wayes either when you take a longer Shaft then your owne or else when you shift your hand too low or too high for Shooting and misse the true midst of the Bow and this motion is that which pulleth the backe of the Bow in sunder and maketh it flie in many pieces so then you are to obserue when a Bow is broken hauing the belly rissen vp either both wayes or but one then the String brake it when it is broken but in two pieces and that in a manner euen or especially in the vpper end then the Nocke of the Shaft brake it and when the backe is pulled in many peices then ouer-drawing brake it These tokens are alwayes most certaine or very seldome doe misse The 4 th and last thing that breaketh a Bow are Frets or Gaules w ch prepare and make ready a Bow for breaking by any of the three wayes formerly spoken off and these Frets are as well in the Arrow as the Bow and they are much like a canker creeping and increasing in those places where they abide which is euer the weakest and most indigent And to cure this your Bow must be picked trimmed by a cunning workman who will foresee that it may come round in compasse euery where For of Frets you must beware If your Bow haue a knot in the backe least the places which be next vnto it be not strong enough to beare with the knot or else the strong knot will fret the weake places next vnto it Frets at first are but little pinches which assoone as you perceiue picke the places about the pinch to make them somewhat weaker and as well comming as where it pinched and so the pinch will dye and neuer increase further or come to be a fret Againe Bowes most commonly Fret vnder the hand not so much as some suppose for the moystnes of the hand as for the heat of the hand for heat as Aristotle saith is apt to loose and not to knit fast and the looser the weaker and the weaker more apt to Fret A Bow is neuer wel made which hath not plenty of wood in the hand for if the ends of the Bow be staffish or a mans hand any thing hot the belly must needs soone Fret Now for the cure of these Frets I haue not heard of any to any great purpose more then to make the Fretted place as strong or stronger then any other touching the filling of the Fret vp with the small Shiuers of a quill and Glew which some hold good yet both by reason mine opinion it must needs be starke naught for put case the Fret doe cease then yet the cause which made it fret before which is onely weaknesse is not taken away and therefore consequently the place must needs fret againe As for cutting out of Frets together with all manner of piecing of Bowes I vtterly dislike them as things not fit for a good Archer for pierced Bowes are like olde houses which are more chargeable to repaire then cōmodious to dwell in and againe to Swaddle a Bow much with bands how euer necessity may make it vse full yet it seldome doth any good except it be to keepe downe a Spell in the Backe otherwise bands eyther neede not when the Bow is any thing worth or else Boote not when it is spoyled And though I know many poore Archers will vse pieced and banded Bowes because they are not able to get better yet I am sure if they consider it well they shall finde it lesse chargeable and more pleasure to bestow a Crowne on a new Bow then to giue tweluepence for piecing of an old for better is cost vpon some what worth then expence vpon that which is naught worth And this I write the rather because I intreat onely of the perfection of Shooting Againe there is another thing which will soone occasion a Bow to be broken by one of the wayes before named and that is shooting in the winter leason when there is any great Frost for Frosts are euer wheresoeuer there is any waterish humor as is in all kinde of wood eyther more or lesse and 't is true that all things frozen and Icie will rather breake then bend yet if any man must needs shoote at such a time let him take his Bow and bring it to the fire and thereby a little rub and chafe it with a waxed cloth which will quickly bring it to that perfection that he may ●afely shoote without danger This rubbing with waxe as I said before is a great succour against all wet and moystnesse and as youthus rub your Bow at the fire so likewise in the field and going betwixt your Markes cither with your hand or else with a cloath keepe your Bow in such a temper as the frost may not annoy it And thus much concerning the Bow how first to know what wood is best then how to chuse a Bow after how to trim it then how to keepe it in goodnesse and lastly how to saue it from all harm and mischiefe And although many both can and may say more in this Subiect then my selfe yet what I haue said is true and I hope sufficient for any reasonable knowledge Chap. VIII Of the Shaft and the vses WHat Shafts or Arrowes were made of in former times Authors doe not so plentifully shew as of Bowes yet Herodotus doth tell vs that in the Riuer Nilus there was a Beast called a Water horse of whose Skin after it was dryed the Aegyptians made Shafts and Darts The tree called Cornus was so common to make Shafts on that in many good latine Authors Cornus is taken for a Shaft as in Seneca and this place of Virgill Volat Itala Cornus Yet of all things that euer I marked in any old Authors eyther Greeke or Latine for shafts to be made on I finde not any thing so common as Reeds Herodotus in describing the mighty hoast of Xerxes shewes that those great countries vsed Shafts made of Reeds as the Ethiopians the Lycians whose Shafts had no feathers at which I much maruaile and the Indians The Indian Shafts were very long as a yard and an halfe according to Apian or at the least a full yard as affirmeth Quintus Curtius which made them giue the greater blow yet that great length made them more vnhandsome and losse profitable for them that used them In Creet and Italy they

maintainance of those Creatures they did it not I say so much for that one good act as for a world of others which we dayly and almost hourely receiue from them insomuch that if I were bound to declaime in the praise of any Beast liuing I would choose the Goose But leauing this digression Now how a Feather must bee had and what Feaaher is best it followeth now whether of a young Goose or an old the old Goose Feather is stiffe and strong good for a winde and fittest for a dead Shaft The young Goose Feather is weake and fine and are best for a swift shaft and it must be caulled at the first shearing some what high for in shooting it will settle very much The same things although not so much are to be considered both in Goose and Gander A Fenny Goose euen as her flesh is blacker stoorer and vnwholsomner so are her Feathers by the same reason courser stoorer and worse for that purpose whence it comes that I haue heard many skilfull Fletchers say that the second Feather in some place is better then the Pinion in other Betwixt the wings is little differēce but that you must haue diuers Shafts of one flight feathered with diuers wings for diuers winds for if the Winde and the feather goe both one way the Shaft will be carryed too much The Pinion Feathers as they haue the first place in the Wing so they haue the first place in Feathering this feather you may know before it be pared by a baight which is in it and againe when it is coul'd by the thinnesse aboue and the thickenesse at the ground and also by the stiffenesse and finenesse which will carry a Shaft better faster and further then any other Feather Touching the colour of the Feather it is the least of many other things to be regarded yet is it worthy some notice because for a good white you haue sometimes an ill gray yet surely it standeth with good reason euer to haue the Cocke feather blacke or gray as it were to giue a man warning to Nocke right The Cocke Feather is that which standeth aboue in right Nocking which if you doe not obserue the other Feathers must needs runne on the Bow and so spoyle the shoote Now concerning the setting on of the Feather you are principally to regard that your Feather be not drawne for hastinesse but pared with diligence and made streight The Fletcher is sayd to draw a feather when he hath but one swap at it with his knife And he is said to pare it when he taketh leisure and heede to make euery part of the Ribbe apt to stand streight and euen vpon the Steele This thing if a man doth not take heede of hemay chance to haue cause to say of his Fletcher as we say of good meat ill drest the Feathersare praise-worthy but the Fletcher too blame The Rib in a stiffe feather may be drawne thinner for so it will stand cleaner on the shaft but in a weake feather you must leaue a thicker Rib for if the Rib w ch is the foundation ground whereon Nature hath set euery cleft of the feather be taken away too neare the feather It must needs follow that the feather shall fall and drop downe euen as an hearbe doth w ch hath his Root too neare taken away with the Spade The length and shortnesse of the feather serueth for diuers purposes and diuers Shafts as a long feather for a long heauy and big Shaft the short Feather for the contrary againe the short may stand farther the long nearer the Nocke your Feather must stand almost streight on yet after that sort that it may turne round in flying Now here I consider the wonderfull nature of Shooting which standeth altogether by that fashion which is most apt for quicke moouing which is onely Roundnesse for the Bow must be gathered round in drawing it must come a Round compasse the String must be round the steele round the best nocke round the Feather shorne somewhat round the Shaft in flying must turne round and if it flie farre it flyeth a round compasse for either aboue or beneath a Round compasse hindereth the flying Moreouer both the Fletcher in the making your Shaft and you in Nocking your Shaft must take he●● that two Feathers run equally on the Bow for if one Feather runne alone on the Bow it will quickly be worne not able to match with the other Feathers besides at the loose if the Shaft be light it will start if it bee heauie it will hobble To coule sheare or cut the Feathers of a shaft high or low it must be done according as the Shaft is light or heauie great or little long or short The Swine-backed fashion maketh the Shaft dead for it gathereth more Ayre then the Saddle-backed doth therefore the Saddle-backe is surer for danger of weather and fitter for smooth ●●ing Againe to sheare a Shaft round as they were wont in former times to doe or after the Tryangle-fashion which is much vsed now in these times both are good For Roundnesse is apt for flying of its owne nature and all manner of Tryangles the sharpe point going before is also apt for quicke entring and therefore sayth CICERO That Cranes taught by Nature doe in flying alwayes observe a Tryangle fashion because it is so apt to pierce and goe through the Ayre Lastly plucking of Feathers is naught for there is no surety in it therefore let euery Archer haue such Shafts that hee may both know them and trust them vpon euery change of weather yet if they must needs be plucked pull them as little as can be for so shall they be lesse constant And thus I haue shut vp in a straight Roome what can be sayd of the best Feather feathering and fashioning of a perfect Shaft I will now proceed to the Head CHAP. XI Of the Arrow-head the Invention and seuerall vses NECESSITIE the Inuenter of all goodnesse as the best Authors affirme amongst other things inuented the Arrow-head first to saue the end from breaking then made it sharpe that it might stick the better after made it of strong matter that it might continue longer and last of all experience and the wisedome of men hath brought it to such perfection that there is not any thing more profitable in all the Art of Archerie either to wound a mans enemie in the warre or pleasure himselfe and his friend by hitting the marke at home as is a right good Arrow-head for where the Shaft wanteth an head it is both vselesse and without esteeme Seeing then the Head is of this necessity it is needfull that we apply our best powers in attaining them Heads for the warres of long time haue beene made not onely of diuers matters but also of diuers fashions The Troians had heads of Iron as this verse spoken of Pandarus sheweth Vp to the pappes his string did be pull his Shaft to the Iron The Grecians had

soeuer shooteth ignorantly considering neyther fayre weather nor foule true or false standing Nocking Feather nor Head Drawing nor Loosing nor yet any compasse shall alwayes shoot short and gone wide and farre off and neuer come neare except by chance hee stumble on the Marke For Ignorance is nothing else but absolute Blindnesse A skilfull Archer will first with diligent vse and marking the Weather learne to know the Nature of the Wind and will with wisedome measure in his mind how much it will alter his shoot either in length keeping or in streight shooting so with changing his standing or taking another Shaft which hee knoweth to bee fitter for his purpose eyther because it is lower feathered or else of a better wing will so handle with discretion his Shoot that he will seeme rather to haue the weather vnder his rule by such care and circumspection then the Weather to rule his Shaft by any sodaine changing Therefore in shooting there is as much difference betwixt an Archer that is a good Weather-man and him that knoweth nor obserueth any thing as is betwixt a blind-man and him that can see Moreouer a perfect Archer must seriously learne to know the sure flight of his Shafts that he may be bold alwayes to trust them Next he must learne by continuall experience to know all kind of weathers the signes when it will come the Nature when it is come the diuersity and alteration when it changeth and the decrease and diminishing when it ceaseth These things thus knowne and obserued and euery shoot diligently pondred thē ought our Archer to compare the Weather and his Footing together and with discretion measure them so that whatsoeuer the Weather shall take away from his Shoot the same shall just footing restore againe This poynt well knowne and discreetly handled bringeth more profit and commendations to the Archer then any other secondary obseruation whatsoeuer He that will know perfectly the Wind and Weather must put difference betwixt times and seasons for diuersitie of times cause the diuersity of weather As in the whole yeare there are foure diuersities of times the Spring the Summer the Fall and Winter so likewise in one day there are also foure diuersities of Time the Morning Noone-●ide Afternoone and Euening and all these both alter the weather and change a mans Bow and Strength and to know that this is so is enough for an Archer and not to search the cause why it should be so for that is the office of the learned CHAP. XX. Principall Obseruations from the Time of the yeare IN considering the time of the year a wise Archer will follow a good Seaman In winter and rough weather small Boates and little Pinkes for sake the Seas And at one time of the yeare no Gallyes come abroad So likewise weake Archers vsing but small and hollow Shafts with Bowes of little pith must be content to giue place for a time yet I speake not this to discourage any weake Shooter for as there is no Shippe better then a Gally in a soft and calme Sea so no man shooteth more comely or nearer his marke then some weake Archers doe in a fayre and cleare day Thus you see euery good Archer must know not onely what Bow and Shafts are fittest for him to shoote withall but also what times and seasons are meetest for him to shoote in And truely in all other Matters and amongst all the degrees estates of men there is no man that doth anything more discreetly for his commendations or more profitable for his owne aduantage then he which doth and will know perfectly for what matter Action and time he is most apt and fit And here were it not variable from the discourse I haue in hand I could enter into a large field of inuection against those which onely labour to struggle to turmoyle themselues in those matters and affaires which are neither fit for their capacities nor consonant to their bringing vp but Cinthius Aurem vellet I will turne againe to the Action of Shooting in which I will perswade all wise Archers alwayes to haue their instruments fit and obedient for their owne strength and then euermore to waite and attend for such time weather and seasons as is most agreeable with the action they goe about Therefore if the weather be too violent and vnfit for your shooting leaue of for that day and attend a better Season For he is a Foole that will not goe when Necessity driueth Yet to make some larger discription of the weather concerning shooting I would haue you remember as I told you before that in the whole yeare the Spring Summer Fall and Winter and in one day the Morning Noone Afternoone and Euening altereth the course of the weather the pith of the Bow and the strength of the man And in euery one of these the weather altereth as sometimes windie sometimes calme one while cloudy another cleare sometimes hot sometimes cold the wind sometimes moyst and thicke sometimes dry and smooth c. A little winde in a misty day stoppeth a shaft more then a good whistling wind in a cleare day nay I haue seene when there hath bin no wind at all the ayre so Misty and thicke that both the markes haue beene wonderfull great And once I heard in Cambridge the down-markeat Tweluescore-prick for the space of three weekes was thirteenescore and an halfe and into the wind not being very great a great deale aboue foureteenescore The wind is sometimes plaine vp and downe which commonly is most certaine and requireth least knowledge or circumspection so that a meane Shooter with meane furniture if he can shoote home may make shift to doe well A side-winde tryeth a good Archer and good Furniture for sometime it bloweth a loft sometime low by the Ground sometime it bloweth by blasts sodaine gusts and sometime continueth all in one manner sometime a quarter wind with him more again as much against him all w ch by a man casting vp a little light grasse or otherwise by his owne experience shall easily finde out To see the wind it is impossible the nature of it is so fine and subtill but by carefull obseruation a world of experience may be gathered especially in a Snow wherein one may perceiue that the wind goeth by streames and not whole together and in this Obseruation though the experience will breed in a man a greater admiration at the Nature of the winde then cunning in the knowledge of the winde yet thereby he shall learne that it is no wonder at all though the best Archers loose their length in shooting seeing the wind is so variable in blowing The Master of a Ship be he ne●er so Skilfull may by the vncertainety of weather loose both life and goods no wonder then if a good Archer by the selfe same wind so variable in it owne nature and so insensible to our nature loose not onely a Shoote but a Game The more